The Kun-Lai Summit zone was opened in the World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria beta build 15657. In this series of videos, I’ll explore the zone to share with you the landscapes, NPCs, some quests, and NPC dialogues. I also use mind vision to take a close up look at some bestiary and enemy mobs.

The Kun-Lai Summit exploration is split into three videos. I’ll upload the other ones throughout the weekend. Check back every 24 hours.

Exploration # 1

The special team sent by the Horde and Alliance by Garrosh and Varian can be found in the second floor of the Binan Village Inn. All of them are knocked out on the floor, recovering.

On the Horde side: Nazgrim, Shademaster Kiryn, and Rivett Clotchpop.

On the Alliance side: Admiral Taylor, Sully McLeary and Mishka.

The Binan Village is under siege by the Bataari Yaungol (Yak tauren). Several locations throughout the southern Kun-Lai Summit are currently on fire. The Yaungol have annihilated everything on their path through the Yaungol Advance. There are several villages named in the same fashion as areas of Hellfire Peninsula — actually a bit different: Fire Camp Ordo, Fire Camp Ruqin, and Fire Camp Yongqi — these are Yaungol outposts.

Near the Westwind Rest is a Mogu ruins named Mogujia. There’s an awesome chinese easter egg here: Terracotta Warriors. In the north, by the mountain-side, is a Mogujia Soul-Caller. He’s performing a ritual and hovering high above the ground. Every few seconds, several large bolts of magic are launched above him and arc down onto the Terracota Warriors as on / off switches. The Terracotta Warriors become statues (yellow text) or become alive (red text). There are lion statues that come to life too.

On the south-center of the Kun-Lai Summit map is a massive gate with two Mogu statues and chinese wall-like ornaments. That gate leads to the Valley of Eternal Blossoms.

The Firebough Nook might give an insight into why the Yaungol are attacking the Binar Pandaren. There are Yaungol possessed by the Sha in this pandaren village. The ground of the village is literally black, with white swirls seeping off the ground. Locations like this are Sha infested.

I was surprised a few days after this video by the sighting of the Sha of Anger worldboss. It’s gee-normous and hits for 140,000 damage on cloth players (video coming soon). He seems to spawn at random locations. Saw him south of the Muskpaw Ranch and at the center of Fire Camp Yongqi.

The Temple of the White Tiger has an Inn, and players can find Gurthock (Fight Promoter) and Wodin the Troll-Servant here. At level 87, the quest is gray (unavailable), but eventually players can 5-man challenge elite NPCs at the Arena of Annihilation.

Binan Village

Kun-Lai Pass

The Yaungol Advance

Chow Farmstead

Firebough Nook

Fire Camp Ordo

Westwind Rest

Fire Camp Ruqin

Muskpaw Ranch (south of here spawned Sha of Anger worldboss)

The Autumn Plains

Fire Camp Yongqi (Sha of Anger worldboss sighting)

Auburn Bluffs

Lao & Son’s Yakwash

Prankster’s Hollow (cave by Autumn Plains)

Howlingwind Cavern

Inkgill Mere (Jinyu village – Quest hub/Sha of Anger possessed)

Temple of the White Tiger

Arena of Annihilation

Exploration # 2

The second video shows some lore surrounding the Zouchin Province, currently under siege by the Zandalari Trolls. The Mogu and the Zandalari are conspiring to take back Pandaria. I was a bit curious to see Southsea Gnolls helping the Zandalari. Prophet Khar’zul can be found at the Isle of Reckoning, by the Thunder’s Call.

We finally get to see more Grummle in Kun-Lai Summit. I’m still unsure what this race is or where originates from without going through the quests. They look like an offshoot of the Pandaren race. Sorta the gnome version of the Pandaren. One of them described the Gummle as Mountain ferries.

The packers of the trail. The guides through the mountains. If this sounds familiar, it is. In the exploration video # 3, you will find an easter egg: Mount Neverest.

They talk a lot about luckydo, and how they have the ability to smell good luck. Some of their quests talk about their coffee (Kafa) trade and have you do errands to clear the area of their natural enemies: yetti, Yaungol and goats.

The Grummle also take Kafa seeds from goat dropping — a pop culture reference to Southern Asian Kopi Luwak (Civet coffee), the most expensive coffee in the world — which is made of coffee berries that has been eaten and digested by Asian Palm Civet (costs between £200 and £300 per pound). The berries are collected from their droppings, washed, sun dried, roasted and sold to create coffee brew.

It’s discovered the Yaungol race (Tauren-like Yakmen) are invading the Kun-Lai Summit from the region known as Townlong Steppes (located in the northwestern Pandaria). Their invasion is likely due to Sha possession or they are fleeing from the Sha. Townlong Steppes is near the Dread Wastes — from where the Sha comes from. It’s known the Sha are forcing the Mantid to invade the Valley of the Four Winds.

Locations seen in exploration video # 2:

The Yaungol Advance

Whispercloud Rise

Zouchin Province

The Zandalari Vanguard

Zouchin Strand

Zouchin Village (flightmaster)

Isle of Reckoning

Thunder’s Call

The Grummle Bazaar

Fire Camp Ruqin

The Burlap Trail

One Keg (flightmaster)

Fort Silverback

The Dooker Dome

Kota Basecamp (flightmaster)

Shado-Li Basin

Winter’s Blossom (flightmaster)

Exploration # 3

The final video starts at the Winter’s Blossom, a Shado-pan outpost protecting the western gate that leads to the Townlong Steppes.

The Shado-pan Gatewatchers are concerned that Taran Zhu hasn’t sent any reinforcements from the Shado-Pan Monastery to assist them.

Beyond the Shado-Pan Monastery is a path with red flags tucked in the snow (Seeker’s Folly) that leads to … Mount Neverest.

The Valley of Emperors has several small caves where later players have special missions provided by Lorewalker Cho in order to prevent the Mogu and the Zandalari from rising an army of Mogu statues.

The Tormented Spirits you see in the third video are actually the true form of the Mogu the Pandaren defeated thousands of years ago. They didn’t truly die. They are in-between spirits forever tormented, and scheming their return through a spirit transfer ritual.

They transfer their spirit into the metallic statues. The Mogu spirit use the Banshee model, but they look strikingly similar to ancient trolls for some reason. I haven’t found evidence in the quests to support a genetic connection between the Mogu and the Zandalari.

Players don’t need to go all around Kun-Lai Summit (west) to reach the Valley of Emperors. There’s a semi-hidden path in the mountains between the Temple of the White Tiger and One Keg — to the right side of the Howlingwind Cavern that leads straight into the Valley of Emperors.

The Mogu and the Zandalari are searching the tombs of the ancient Meng dynasty emperors for relics that may help with the ritual to transfer the mogu spirits into the statues.

Quest: An End to Everything

These spirits must have been released when the tombs were opened …

Death was not final for the Mogu. Instead, death was merely a stop over on the path to a new body. Spiritbinders used a foul magic to transfer spirits from one shell to the next.

Years of being trapped in the tombs has left them confused. They need to be destroyed before their confusion turns to anger or worse, they find a new shell.

Here’s a speculation of mine, and it’s just speculation. If I was a storyteller, I might device a connection between this spirit transfer knowledge and the Valley of Eternal Blossoms’ healing fountain which Prince Anduin wishes to find. There’s no records in Warcraft history that reveal why Sargeras’ avatar was not in the Tomb of Sargeras when Gul’dan entered it during the second war or exactly where it is right now.

Whoever has the empty shell of his avatar could very well use the knowledge of the Mogu to transfer Sargeras’ spirit back into the empty avatar, or worser … into a new body.

If my speculation had any hint of truth, Mists of Pandaria is not about cute pandas, or even the ramp up of the Horde/Alliance war … but the introduction chapter leading to Sargeras’ return (Reference: Blizzplanet interview with Chris Metzen & Micky Neilson at New York Comic Con 2009).

The Tomb of Shadows has three tablets that reveal the history of the Mogu and Zandalari alliance dating back to the time of the first Mogu emperor.

The Tomb of Secrets has a room full of statues that Nakk’rakas the Spiritshaper (Zandalari) is resurrecting — easter egg for the chinese Terracotta Army.